Cotton-harvesting machine.



J. F. APPLEBY.

COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1906. RENEWED HA3. 9, 1912. 1,024,? 1 4.Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH w.,wAs|uNnTON c,

J. P. APPLEBY. v COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13,1906. RENEWED MAR. 9, 1912.

1 ,024:,7 1 4. Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. F. APPLEBY.

COTTON HARVESTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1906 RENEWED MAR.9, 1912.

1 ,O24,714. Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. APPLEBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 DIXIE COTTON PICKERC0,,

OF REDFIELD, SOUTH DAKOTA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

COTTON-HARVESTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Original application filed January 8, 1906, Serial No. 295,100. Dividedand this application filed April 13,

1906, Serial No. 311,592. Renewed March 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. APPLEBY, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the count-y of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cotton-HarvestingMachines, (being a division of my application, Serial No. 295,100, filedJanuary 8, 1906,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to cot-ton picking or harvesting machines, thepresent application being a division of my co-pending application SerialNo. 295,100, filed January 8, 1906.

In the device of my Patent No. 798,651, dated Sept. 5, 1905, the cottonpicking fingers, the stripping mechanism and the cleaning mechanismassociated therewith, together with certain cooperating parts, wereprovided in a casing which could be raised and lowered. To effect thisoperation of the casing, a hand operated crank, actuating sprocketwheels and a chain, were employed.

The device of my present invention relates to the general class ofcotton picking machines disclosed in my said application and relatesparticularly to the elevating mechanism for raising and lowering thecasing.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a simple lever mechanism thatwill permit the elevation and depression of the casing very quickly andwith but little effort. In practising this feature of my invention, Idesirably employ spring mechanism carried by a portion of the machine(which is distinct from the casing), as, for example, the shaft of themachine, which spring mechanism exerts a lifting action upon the casing,but which lifting action is not suflicient to operate the casing unlessit is supplemented by hand power, desirably exerted throughacomparatively long lever. The casing is normally locked-so that theweight thereof is removed from the spring mechanism, but when the casingis to be raised and lowered, the locking act-ion is broken so that thelever may then become efiective. When the locking action is broken, thecasing is then directly suspended upon the Serial No. 682,753.

spring mechanism and the spring mechanism serves to counter-act to alarge extent the weight of the casing and the operator seated thereon,so that the operation of moving the casing may be accomplished withcomparatively slight effort.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, illustrating one of the embodiments thereof, the embodimentillustrated being that which is preferred.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a plan view illustrating so much of themechanism as is necessary to an understanding of the invention. Fig. 2is a view from the front of part of the mechanism entering into themachine. Fig. 3 is a view in plan of a part of the mechanism. Fig. 4 isa longitudinal section in elevation illustrating certain parts of themachine.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe difi'erent figures.

The picking, stripping and cleaning mechanism hereinafter to beparticularly specified is mounted within a casing or housing 1, thatdesirably has a porch 2 upon which a basket 3 that is to receive thepicked cotton, is placed. A skirt or gatherer formed in two sides 6 isprovided at the base of the casing for the purpose of laterallygathering the cotton bushes to be within range of the picking mechanismto be described. An apron 7 is mounted at the front of the machine asuflicient distance above the bottom edges of the skirt or gatherer todepress the bushes to a uniform level, and a substantially horizontalgrate 8, composed of longitudinally-disposed bars, is continued from thelower margin of the apron 7 rearwardly, so that the level to which thebushes have been depressed may be maintained during the pickingoperation. A single pair of traction-wheels 9 9 is desirably onlyemployed, upon which the casing ismounted in a manner to be hereinafterset forth.

In order that the casing, together with the grate 8, the pickingmechanism, and other associate parts, may be raised and lowered, Ipreferably employ the mechanism now to be described.

The wheels 9 9 are mounted upon a U- shaped axle 10, the U of the axlebeing inverted. Guides 11 11 are fixed with respect to the side walls 1212 of the casing. By vertical movement of these guides upon the verticalparts of the U-shaped axle the casing and the mechanism carried therebyare elevated or lowered. Links 13 are anchored to the casing andterminate at their free ends in hooks that pass through arms 14, thatare rigidly secured to a shaft 15, the shaft being journaled in bearings16, that are mounted upon a cross-girder 17 stationary with respect tothe axle. A hand lever 18 is rigidly secured to the shaft 15, desirablyat one end of said shaft, this hand lever carrying a locking detent 19,a detent rod 20, and a grip 21, which may be operated to actuate the rod20 to release the locking detent 19 from the locking quadrant or rack22, this releasing action being efiiected against the force of a spring23 provided normally to hold the detent and quadrant in lookingrelation. By rotating the lever 18, the links 13 may be elevated orlowered to effect the corresponding elevation or depression of thecasing. In order that physical effort may be reduced in raising andlowering the casing, I desirably provide a spring mechanism that exertsa lifting action when the locking detent 19 is disengaged from thequadrant 22. This spring mechanism desirably includes two oppositelywound helices 24 of strong steel rod, which thus constitute coiledsprings, one coiled spring terminating in a hook 25 while the companioncoiled spring terminates in an eye 26. A tension adjusting rod 27terminates at one end in an eye, by which said rod is engaged with thehook 25, the other end of the rod 27 having threaded thereupon anadjusting nut, the threaded end of the rod 27 passing through the eye26, the nut serving to adjust the space between the portions 25 26. Thecoiled springs are wound about cores 28 that are carried by the girder17, and each coiled spring has an outwardly extending hook 29 that isconnected. with the link 20 shown attached at its lower end to thecasing.

It will be seen that when the elements 19 are separated, that the casingis carried by the coiled springs 24: by reason of the engagement of theportions 29 of said springs with the aforesaid links 20, so that theoperator, who may remain upon his seat, may have little diflieult-y inraising or lowering the casing. The extent to which the springs 24-.counter-act the weight of the easing is determined by the adjustmenteffected by the adjusting device 27.

The picking, stripping and cleaning mechanism is operated from a mainshaft 30 that is driven by the sprocket-gears 31 located at its outerends and rotated by the sprocket-chains 32 operated by thesprocketwheels 33, there being one such sprocketwheel 33 directlycoupled and coaxial with each traction-wheel. In order that the singleshaft 30 may be in driven connection with both tractionwheels and at thesame time permit one of the traction-wheels to move faster than theother, as in making turns, the said shaft 30 is made in sections unitedby a differential gear 3a. A third sprocket-wheel 35 may constitute theframe that carries the gears 36 that form component parts of the gearing3 k in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art, for it isby such an arrangement that said sprocket-wheel 35 may be rotatedthrough the agency of both sections of the shaft 30, whether saidsections are rotating at the same or different speeds. The sprocketwheel35 drives a sprocket-chain 37, that in turn rotates a sprocket-gear 38,which directly causes the operation of the picking, stripping andcleaning mechanism, as will be described.

As hitherto stated, the sprocket-wheel 38 is the direct cause of theoperation of the pickers, strippers and cleaners, the shaft 39 directlyoperating the picking mechanism, as will be specified, the sprocket-gear41.0 upon said snaft 39 operating the sprocketchain 1-1, that in turnrotates the sprocketgear L5 mounted upon a shaft t3, upon which shaftare fixed the strippers 44. Where cleaners are employed, the shaft 4,3may have mounted thereon a sprocketwheel 42, that operates thesprocket-chain tG, which sprocket-chain causes the rotation of asprocketwhecl 47 fixed upon a shaft 48, upon which shaft are also fixedcleaning elements 19 in the form of wheels, one for eachstripping-cylinder slot. The cotton that is picked and cleaned is passedthrough an opening 50 into the basket below the opening. The apron 50holds the cotton in the path of the packer. The cotton when it reaches asuitable height in the basket, is packed ly the packing spiral 52 whichis rotated by a shaft 53 that is flexibly coupled by the flexible jointwith a sleeve movable back and forth thereupon and rotating with a shaft56, that carries a bevel-gear 57 adapted to mesh with the bevel-gear 58splined upon the driving shaft The shaft 53 works within a sleeve 59that is anchored and held at 60 60 upon the porch i, said shaft beinglongitudinally movable in said sleeve 59 so that the packing spiral maybe thrust upward as the cotton within the basket is being packed, thepacking spiral thereby automatically accommodating itself to thechanging level of the cotton.

As described in my original application 295,100, filed January 8, 1906,T preferably place a coating of oil or other suitable material upon thefingers while they are being bodily moved and also while they are notrotating about their individual axes, to which end I employ an oilreceptacle '76 that is mounted upon the inner faces of the side walls ofthe easing, into which receptacle wicking 81 projects. This wicking isslit in the planes of movement of the picking fingers so that as thepicking fingers bodily move, they may pass through the slits, and inpassing through, be sufliciently coated with the oil. The object of thisarrangement, as stated in my copending original application is toprevent foreign matter from being sufficiently acquired by the pick ingfingers that would prevent the picking fingers from efliciently pickingthe cotton.

There are certain features disclosed in my present application that areclaimed in my divisional application Serial No. 311,591, filed April 13,1906, this latter application being also a division of my originalapplication Serial No. 295,100, filed January 8, 1906.

lVhile I have herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited to the precise constructionshown, as changes may readily be made therein without departing from thespirit of the invention, but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters- Patent:

1. A cotton harvesting machine including a casing, operating mechanismof the machine carried by the casing, a hand lever for raising andlowering the casing, a locking quadrant or rack, a locking devicecarried by the lever cooperating with said rack, whereby the casing maybe maintained in the position to which .it may be adjusted, and springmechanism taking part in supporting the casing, said mechanismcomprising two helices of spring metal terminating in outwardlyextending" supporting branches and having connection by means of saidbranches with the casing.

2. A cotton harvesting machine including a casing, operating mechanismof the machine carried by the casing, a hand lever for raising andlowering the casing, a locking quadrant or rack, a locking devicecarried by the lever cooperating with said rack, whereby the casing maybe maintained in the position to which it may be adjusted, springmechanism taking part in supporting the casing, said mechanismcomprising two helices of spring metal terminating in outwardlyextending supporting branches and having connection by means of saidbranches with the casing, and an adjusting device interposed between theremaining ends of the helices for adjusting the tension of the coiledsprings.

3. A cotton harvesting machine including a casing, operating mechanismof the machine carried by the casing, spring mechanism taking part insupporting the casing, said mechanism comprising two helices of springmetal terminating in outwardly eX- tending supporting branches andhaving connection by means of said branches with the casing, and anadjusting device interposed between the remaining ends of the helicesfor adjusting the tension of the coiled springs.

4. A cotton harvesting machine including a casing, operating mechanismof the machine carried by the casing, spring mechanism taking part insupporting the casing, said mechanism comprising two helices of springmet-a1 terminating-in outwardly eX- tending supporting branches andhaving connection by means of said branches with the casing, anadjusting device interposed between the remaining ends of the helicesfor adjusting the tension of the coiled springs, and lever mechanism forraising and lowering the casing.

5. A cotton harvesting machine including a casing, operating mechanismof the machine carried by the casing, spring mechanism taking part insupporting the casing, said mechanism comprising two helices of springmetal terminating in outwardly extending supporting branches and havingconnection by means of said branches with the casing, and a connectingdevice interposed between the remaining ends of the helices.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of MarchA. 1)., 1906.

JOHN F. APPLEBY. Witnesses G. L. CRAGG, lVALDo B. STONE.

Copies of this natent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

